United Arab Emirates Will Launch To The Moon With SpaceX In The End Of This Year

JAKARTA - Following in the footsteps of the United States (US) and China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is preparing to touch the Moon. The mission is planned to be carried out in November this year.

In a craft dubbed the Rashid, he will launch between November 9 and 15 from the Kennedy Space Center spaceport in Florida.

The rover will be launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and deposited on the Moon by Japan's ispace lander sometime in March next year.

"We have finished with the rover's testing and we are pleased with the results. The rover has been integrated with the lander and is ready to launch," said mission manager Al Marzooqi at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center.

Rashid himself weighs 10 kilograms and is equipped with two high-resolution cameras, a microscopic camera, a thermal image camera, a probe and other devices.

Launching ABCNews, Tuesday, September 20, this month's mission is part of the UAE's ambition to become a major player in the field of space exploration.

If the mission is successful, the UAE and Japan will join the US, Russia and China as countries that have put their spacecraft on the lunar surface first.

The UAE is not a new player in the space field, previously the Emirati satellite has successfully orbited Mars to study the planet's atmosphere.

The country is partnering with Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to launch the probe in February 2021.

Claimed in 2117, the UAE plans to establish a human colony on the Red Planet. Meanwhile, Rashid is expected to be able to study the lunar surface, and how it interacts with lunar particles.